Sunday, January 20, 2013

Pentagon chief meets pope, asks for his prayers

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, the leader of the world's
largest military, met Pope Benedict XVI, the world's best known advocate
for peace, at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Panetta was in
the front row at Wednesday's weekly general audience in the Vatican
auditorium. About 1,000 people were crowded into the room.

After the Pope addressed the gathering, Panetta and several staff members lined up to meet the pontiff, who gave them rosaries.

Panetta kissed the Pope's hand, and the Pope said, "Thank you for helping to protect the world."

The Pentagon boss responded, "Pray for me."

Panetta,
a staunch Catholic, is in Rome as part of a weeklong swing across
Europe, meeting with defense ministers to talk about ongoing conflicts
in Afghanistan and Mali.

This is expected to be Panetta's last overseas
trip as Pentagon chief, as he long has planned to step down once his
replacement is confirmed.

The
pontiff has been outspoken in pressing for peace, issuing urgent
appeals to end the violence in Syria and urging the international
community to spare no effort in seeking a political settlement to the
conflict.

Most recently he used his annual New Year's speech at the
Vatican to call for an end to Syria's civil war.

He has also pushed for
peace in the Middle East, saying he hopes Jerusalem will one day become
"a city of peace and not of division."

The
Italian-American Panetta, who was born in California, made the first
trip to Italy in the 1950s, traveling with his parents to visit his
grandparents. During that trip, Panetta made his first visit to St.
Peter's Basilica.

Panetta made subsequent trips to Rome
as a member of Congress, and had an audience with Pope John Paul II when
he traveled to Rome with then-President Clinton. He later had a second
audience with Pope John Paul II in Washington.

While director of the CIA, Panetta visited the Vatican, but did not see the Pope.

On his overseas trips, Panetta often will go to Catholic mass at a local church.

Panetta,
who often works his Italian ancestry into his speeches, told reporters
traveling with him that this visit to Italy has a "lot of tremendous
personal meaning for me, since I'm the son of Italian immigrants."

He
often talks about his parents' decision to come to America so that they
could provide a better life for their children.